Facebook is on its way to develop a technology that would allow under-13 children to use the popular social-networking site. It can be a great way for the world's largest social networking site to get a new pool of users, and consequently, a new stream of revenue.
Children younger than 13 years old would be able to use Facebook under parental supervision with this new technology. One attractive feature of this technology is, children's accounts will be connected to their parents' and they will decide whom to accept as "friend" and what application their children can use. This information was revealed by people who have discussed about the technology with Facebook executives.
The technology could also enable the under-13 age users to charge their parents for games and other contents. Facebook does not allow users under 13 at the moment. But it is possible to get account by lying about their ages. This puts the popular social networking company in an awkward position as there are legal problems and obligation towards parents.
"Recent reports have highlighted just how difficult it is to enforce age restrictions on the Internet, especially when parents want their children to access online content and services," Facebook said in response to questions about the new technology. "We are in continuous dialogue with stakeholders, regulators and other policy makers about how best to help parents keep their kids safe in an evolving online environment," the popular social networking company added. This attempt of giving access to younger kids is really sensitive, so Facebook is trying to handle the matter delicately.
There was a report last year that revealed 7.5 million children younger than 13 years old are using Facebook. Five million under 10 year children are also included in these 7.5 million users. So Facebook is now trying to create a safe environment for under-13 children. This popular social networking company is discussing the issue with kid-friendly companies like Walt Disney Co. As children are already using this site by hiding their age, establishing controls is the only way to make a safe environment for them.
